Will Run For Not Your Mother's Macaroons

Sometimes a girl needs chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate!  Even better than chocolate is frozen chocolate.  When I think of frozen chocolate I think of eating macaroons that have just come out of the freezer and are ready to be put in tins full of holiday baking (assuming that they actually make it that far).

Since my mother makes the most delicious chocolate macaroons I thought that I would call her and ask for the recipe.  Who knew that chocolate bunnies + oats + coconut + vanilla extract = macaroons.  She was able to dig me out an actual recipe but sometimes you don't really need to know about the 2 cups of sugar or 1/2 cup of butter that are in your dessert.

Trouble makers with my silicone bowl while I  was getting the recipe from my mother!

After all of that I decided to try something a little different.  These aren't my mother's macaroons but I can't promise that won't go directly from the freezer into my belly.

chocolate macaroons

Not Your Mother's Macaroons

(12 + 5 (for tast testing) )

ingredients

* 1/4 C date paste 

3 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 C unsweetened coconut

1 C rolled oats

2 Tbsp melted coconut oil

* You can make date paste by soaking 1 cup dried dates in water for 4-6 hours, draining the dates and then blending them into a smooth paste.  If you are impatient you can soak them for an hour or so, save 3 Tbsp of the water that they were soaking in and microwave them with reserved date water for 1-2 minutes and then blend into a smooth paste.  As you might imagine I used the impatient version.  

Add cocoa, vanilla bean paste and melted coconut oil to date paste.

Add coconut and rolled oats.

Drop by the spoonful onto a lined (with wax paper or silicone mat) baking sheet or plate.  Place in freezer for 5 -10 minutes.  Best enjoyed directly from the freezer.  Yum!